by Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY Sports

by Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY Sports

ESCONDIDO, Calif. â?? In the summer of 2010, Lance Armstrong told the world about a rising young star in the sport of cycling.

"Remember the name Lawson Craddock," Armstrong wrote on his Twitter account.

It was a big deal for Craddock, who was then just 18 years old.

But now everything's changed. In January, Armstrong confessed to several years of lying, doping and bullying in the pursuit of fame and fortune.

What does Craddock think of Armstrong now?

"All of that stuff, I was so young when all that stuff was happening," Craddock said with a shrug.

The subject is still sore in professional cycling, especially for the young standouts who hope to move out of Armstrong's long shadow.

Consider what happened here Friday at a news conference to kick off the Amgen Tour of California, the most prestigious cycling event in the United States. Event organizers placed eight cyclists on the podium to answer media questions and pose for pictures. All but one was 30 or under, including Craddock, now 21. Most consider the Armstrong saga to be ancient history, though the issue still pushes complicated buttons of emotion, including embarrassment and even gratitude.

"I'd like to hope that fans move past what's happened in that whole era of cycling, said Tejay van Garderen, 24, the top American in last year's Tour de France. "It's a long time ago now."

Jens Voight, 41, was the only rider over 30 to appear at Friday's news conference. After fans clapped at van Garderen's assessment that cycling had moved on from the Armstrong era, Voight interjected to make an impassioned point.

"Why should he and his generation be punished (for Armstrong's sins)?" Voight asked.

In an interview later with USA TODAY Sports, Voight said questions about Armstrong are "unfair to the young ones."

"They were playing Pokemon on their Game Boys when Lance won his first Tour de France," Voight said. "They simply don't know anything."

It was just three years ago that Armstrong last competed in the same event these riders are competing in now. It was May 20, 2010, a very bad day for Armstrong. In the morning, the nation learned that Floyd Landis, Armstrong's former teammate, had accused Armstrong of doping. Later that day in the Tour of California, Armstrong's bike skidded on a patch of gravel, throwing him to the ground in a violent crash.

Nobody knew it then, but it was the beginning of the end for Armstrong. Three years later, he's still picking up the pieces. And so is cycling, whose new generation of riders struggles to unstick itself from the worst parts of his legacy. Last year, Armstrong, now 41, was stripped of all seven of his victories in the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005.

"It's fair to say the future of the sport is bright," Craddock said. "It's going to get worse before it gets better sometimes."

Craddock, a Texas native like Armstrong, still smiles when asked about that Twitter message Armstrong sent about him in 2010.

"Lance has given me a lot of really good opportunities," he said, adding that many of his colleagues "wouldn't be here without him."

As for Armstrong's apology to the world in January, Craddock didn't question it.